Pandit Satya Narayana Charka is a distinguished Kathak dance performer, choreographer and teacher of international acclaim. His gurus include Pandit R.K. Shukla, Pandit Shambhu Maharaj, Shrimati Maya Rao and Pandit Birju Maharaj. Pandit S.N. Charka has won many prestigious awards, including first place in the All-India Dance Competition. Since the early 1970s, he has presented numerous traditional dance recitals as well as dance dramas, bringing myth to life for today's audiences. Since 1981, he has been the director of the East-West School of Dance, New York, based at Ananda Ashram. He has been teaching in the wider New York metropolitan area and has been performing internationally.